Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-01-28
The Ownership Of Land.

Once all mon were tramps. The In
dams used to own all the land in COM
mon. They didn't SOW much and
they didn't reap much. They lived
on game, fish and CLAIMS, but there
wasn't enough to 60 round, and then
one said to the others,
81 have as good a right as you to
what there u.s." and he tried to grab
it. The other Indians killed him.
That is the way we all began. The
white men, who were our grandfathers,
lived in the same way in Europe, but
that way didn't work we'll; the white
men gave it up before the Indians,
who haven't given it up yet.
What did they do next? They SAW
that all their food came out of the
land, and that if they did not fence in
the land somewhere and plant it there
would not be enough food to go round.
Game was getting scarce. A tribe, or
a family, fenced in a. piece and said to
the rest, this is ours.'' Nobody oh.
Jected. just then, because there WAS
more land than folks. After the tribe
had taken the land, part of them
planted it and the rest kept up the
tences-that is to say they STAYED
round the outside and kept the trarnps
off. Next year the tribe that had fenced
in, or set apart, some OF the land had
plenty OF food and then they had A
lot OF time to spare, so they went to
WORK making better clothes and build
Ing better houses; next year they were
agreat deal stronger, because they had
been better led and better clothed and
better housed. The more they fenced
in and used the land the more food
there was for themselves and for 9th
ers.
The tramps outside had great deal
more land, they also had all the game
there was and all the time there was,
but they said, "These fellows inside
the fence have taken our land, but we
have worked just as hard outside as
they have. they ought to share even;
we have just as much right to some of
their crops and if they won give them
to us let's 20 and take them let's all
share even.' That is just what the
tramps say now, but they don't get
it, because the men inside the fence
have the most sense and the most
muscle, the best tools and the best
guns, and they know how to use them.
The tramps were licked, and then
they said to the men inside the fence,
"you have no right to the land, we
want some o. it," The men inside
said, "there is land enough outside,
why don't you fence in some out there?"
The tramps said, 1--WE want to stay
here" Then said the men inside the
fence, "stay, if you want to, and swap
with us-there will be enough for all
OF us il we swap. We will work the
land, which is good for nothing unless
1t is worked, but we can't all work on
this land; let's swap work on land for
some other kind of work" But where
shall stay" said the tramp, we can't
all live in the woods?" "No," said the
men inside the fence, 1--WE have more
iood than we can eat, more timber
than we con use, more iron than we
want; you come in and work up these
things and we will let you have part
we will swap grain ana meat and
timber and iron, which we have saved
from our own work and cannot use
ourselves, for your work" The tra,nps
agreed. Where was the thief? Both
had more than they had before. Which
one gained the most?-Edward Atkin-
son, in Work and Wages.